Little Black Book of Death
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: What if Shinji finds the Death Note?


**Evangelion Fan Fiction**

**Little Black Book of Death**

By Kraven Ergeist

The news had spread fast. NERV was in an uproar. Misato and Ritsuko couldn't recall a day more stacked with paperwork. Fuyutsuki was entertaining thoughts of resignation. While logistically, all it would involve is some hierarchical musical chairs, the death of Commander Gendo Ikari had disrupted the scenario of NERV and the bodies that ruled it more than anyone could possibly imagine.

What really surprised people, however, was the reaction of the Commander's son, Shinji Ikari. He didn't seem at all shocked by the ordeal. Or at all saddened. Not even the tiniest bit disturbed.

His roommates wrote it off as Shinji simply holding his emotions inside. Misato tried to console him. Asuka simply left him alone. Which was fine with him. Ultimately, he sealed himself in his room, with nothing more than his SDAT and his blank expression.

When the door sealed shut, however, that blank expression turned into a smile.

"It worked!" he said. "Kaworu, it worked!"

Floating in the air beside his bed was an apparition of a gray haired boy with black devil wings in the Tokyo-3 school uniform.

"Well, of course it worked," Kaworu said, rolling his eyes. "My question is, how could you kill your own father like that?"

Shinji collapsed on his bed, pulling the Death Note out from under his bed.

"Trust me, Kaworu…" Shinji said bitterly, flipping the notebook open past the rules to the first page, staring at his father's name written in black ink. "After all the things he's done…all the people he's hurt and killed…it's…it's better this way…"

Kaworu sighed. "Well, it's your choice, Shinji. I cannot interfere, after all. However, I would point out that killing Gendo Ikari will have adverse effects on your reality."

Shinji was up and about, looking around his room for a better hiding place for the Death Note than under his pillow.

Kaworu frowned. "And there is an even bigger danger. You've heard of SEELE?"

Shinji shook his head. "SELLE?"

"I'll take that as a no…" Kaworu sighed, turning over in the air, appearing to be lounging. "SEELE is the organization that funded NERV and it's all its dealings. It's the reason why NERV is equipped with all the technology and knowledge needed to combat the Angels. It's an organization of thirteen counsel members, all of whom hold enormous power in the modern world. They were placing a lot of faith in your father's work, and with this sudden, unexplained heart attack out of the blue, they're going to start wondering if someone might be behind it."

Shinji settled for keeping the thing black book within the pages of one of his school textbooks. It would do for now.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shinji asked the Shinigami. "I thought you weren't allowed to interfere."

"I can't interfere physically," Kaworu shrugged, comically. "But passing on information is a piece of cake."

"Still…aren't there rules?"

"It's up to me what to tell you," Kaworu smiled, evilly. "For all you know, I could be lying. If you want my reasons for revealing this information, then I'll tell you: Beyond your father, I honestly can't think of anyone else whose name you'd write in the Death Note. Well…except maybe the redhead."

Shinji shook his head. "No, I hadn't had any plans to use it again. So you're just trying to scare me into killing more people for your entertainment?"

Kaworu smiled. "It's up to you whether to act on my words, Shinji. Put the book away and never use it again for all I care. If SEELE comes after you and kills you, the Death Note will come back to me, and I can start writing in it again. But until then…it's your choice…"

The door opened, and Misato peered her head into Shinji's room and saw him sitting on his bed, looking out his window.

"Shinji? We'll be having dinner shortly if you feel like coming out."

The boy looked up at her. "Thanks Misato…"

When the door closed, Shinji looked back to Kaworu.

"I guess you weren't lying when you said nobody else can see you."

Kaworu shrugged his shoulders in a comical fashion. "I'm a death god, not a liar."

Shinji nodded. "Maybe. We'll see. For now, I just want to get back on my feet. Go back to living normally for a while. Maybe someday, I'll use the Death Note again, but for now…"

Kaworu nodded. "I understand. But do you think you could do me a favor?"

Shinji looked up.

"Do you think you could get me some apples?" Kaworu asked, almost pleadingly. "I positively _love_ apples!"

Shinji laughed. "Sure, I'll pick some up tomorrow."

xxxxx

For a while, that was all. Shinji still went to school, went to sync tests, was hassled by Asuka, still dealt with Misato's antics, and continued to wonder what Rei's deal was, and overall, just lived life.

"The Death Note doesn't work on Angels, does it?" Shinji asked aloud as he walked home, a bag of apples in his arms.

Kaworu floated nearby, his black devil wings flapping as he moved forward near Shinji, eagerly munching on one of the apples Shinji had bought for him.

"Nope," Kaworu shrugged. "Death Gods can't take the soul of an angel. Angels are immortal. Even when their mortal aspects die, their souls live on."

Shinji shrugged. "I figured. So, I still have to pilot Eva."

Kaworu took another, joyful bite of apple. "Mmm, this is good! Hey, since you were kind enough to buy me these apples, I'll let you in on a little information: SEELE _is_ planning an attack."

Shinji felt his blood run cold. "An attack?"

Kaworu nodded. "After the last angel attack, SEELE planned to forcefully apprehend NERV and all its facilities. But now with Gendo gone, the schedule may have moved up."

"You don't know when exactly?"

"I'll be able to find out soon, but I do know that the attack _is_ coming. It's just a matter of time."

Shinji bit his lip. "What…I mean…will people die?"

Kaworu laughed out loud. "Picture this, Shinji: Thirteen squads of advanced infantry – that's more than ten thousand JSSDF troops – armed with tanks, battleships, and VTOL, with access to every N2 mine in existence. This force only gets called into action if the five MAGI systems across the globe fail in their invasion of NERV's central computer system, which if they succeed would completely shut down NERV's facilities, bringing it to a forced lockdown, and all vital resources – such as the Evangelions – frozen in Bakelite, along with every worker who happens to be working on them at the time."

Shinji cringed.

"And if both the computer invasion and the armed invasion fail, there's a third tier – SEELE has access to nine – count them – _nine_ mass produced, dummy plug operated _Evanglion_ units, each armed with a weapon capable of penetrating an AT field. I believe you'll remember how primal the dummy plug systems are, Shinji. They don't just subdue their opponents, Shinji – they _devour_ them."

"Enough!" Shinji clenched his eyes shut. "I get it! It's gonna be bad!"

Kaworu stared sadly at Shinji while he caught his breath.

"What…what does SEELE want, anyway?" Shinji stammered.

Kaworu smiled. "Nothing you can give them, Shinji. What they want is an end to the world as we know it."

Shinji said nothing as the two of them prodded down the street.

"You see now why I think writing their names in the Death Note would be a good thing?"

Shinji sighed. "Alright, fine! But I don't know their names!"

Kaworu winked. "Hey, what else is an Angel of Free Will for?"

"Angel of…what?" Shinji shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"How do you think I know all this, Shinji?" Kaworu smirked. "SEELE thinks I'm one of their 'Angels.' What's even more laughable, they think I'm under their control, when in fact, I've just been using them. You want information; I can get it for you, on one condition."

"And that is?"

Kaworu popped the core of the apple he had been eating in his mouth and beckoned for another one.

"Keep them apples coming!"

Shinji laughed and tossed him another apple. "That's all? You want me to supply you with apples, and you'll give me all the names I need?"

Kaworu grinned, taking a bite out of another apple. "Yep!"

Shinji shook his head in ridicule. "Oh, this is unbelievable!"

Kaworu gobbled down his apple with delight. "So, do we have a deal?"

Shinji held the bag of apples appreciatively.

"Kaworu, you give me those names, I'll give you all the apples you can eat."


End file.
